A Little Devil
by reppuzan
Summary: Four year old Kyrie was made a slave in the year X766 at the Tower of Heaven. However, in the midst of the chaos of the revolt the young boy was taken away and half-demonized as part of an experiment by Zeref's cultists. He later escapes with the magic cloak and a tome to perform Fire Devil Slaying magic. Can a timid, half-demon boy like him have it in him to become a Devil Slayer?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. All concepts, characters, and ideas aside from my own belong to their respective owners.

* * *

**Year X776 – Tower of Heaven**

* * *

Many of Kyrie's first real memories were made in the dark, damp confines of the Tower of Heaven. Before that, there were only three things he was old enough to remember.

_(A/N Kyrie is pronounced keer-e-ay not kai-ree)_

The first was his name.

The second was the fact that he was four years old.

The third was the fact that his loving mother was murdered in front of him and that he was taken away by terrifying hooded men who happened to burn his village down.

Now he was all alone, being forced to do manual labor that should be expected of grown men rather than a boy barely out of his toddler years.

The only thing keeping him from shivering from the cold was his mother's last gift to him. It was a brilliant vermillion cloak covered in cobalt leopard-like spots that apparently belonged to his father before he vanished one day and never returned. It was somehow always warm and soft no matter what, and thus became the only comfort the boy took in his new prison. He also had a book with an exotic looking cover the same color of his cloak, but it was taken from him the minute he had set foot in the tower.

The boy was unusually strong for his age, able to lift boulders as large as he was with relative ease, but his stamina was the same if not worse than most children.

It only took a little more than an hour after his arrival for him to collapse on the floor from exhaustion, a fact that his captors did not enjoy.

"Get moving!" One guard barked, kicking hard enough to send the boy skidding into a wall.

These efforts were in vain, however, for after moving several times his own weight in rock Kyrie could hardly find the strength in himself to move, let alone respond. Everything was merely a haze to him, his mind swimming in and out of consciousness.

Irritated by this, the guard marched over before putting the point of his pike on the boy's throat, "If you don't move this instant this pike is going through you!"

Even with this threat ringing in his ears, Kyrie could do little more than lay there motionless, struggling to catch his breath after carting and carrying rock, cement, and tools for what seemed like forever. There simply wasn't enough oxygen getting to his brain for the young boy to really process and react what was going on around him due to the rest of his body being starved of the precious resource.

"Hey, hold on!" yelled the voice of an eleven year old girl. Her hair was a brilliant scarlet with eyes of brown displaying a piercing gaze.

"You can't punish him for doing all of this work! Let him rest and he'll do more later!"

"Shut your mouth! Who do you think you're talking to?"

"I'm just saying that he needs a break! You can't expect him to work when he can barely breathe!"

"That's not my problem. My only jobs are to keep you working and stop you from running away."

"You..." The girl's fists were clenched at the man's apathy, seething with anger at the man's refusal to let the boy catch a break.

Kyrie finally struggled to his feet, staggering over to try and keep working to avoid getting himself and the girl from getting in trouble.

"That's what I thought." remarked the guard in triumph, "Now back to work!" He walked off, proud of his success.

With the guard's back turned she quickly rushed over to Kyrie and caught him just before he lost any remaining strength he had left and collapsed.

"What..." the younger slave began as she lifted him onto her shoulders.

"Just rest. You've done more than enough work for one day."

"B-but..."

"Don't worry about it. What's your name?"

"K-Kyrie. What... about you?" he managed to say between gulps for air.

She gave a gentle smile as she iterated her own name, "Erza. Erza Scarlet."

* * *

**Year X780**

* * *

Kyrie's eyes slowly opened, scanning the area around him. He had changed a great deal in the four years since he had escaped the Tower of Heaven... and those horrible experiments as well. It had rained the night before, and it took only one glance at the nearest puddle to remind the boy of what he had become.

Those _things_ the men in lab coats had done to him had stained the skin of the left side of his body red, with scales visible on his arms, chest, and cheek. The nails of his hands and feet had lengthened and sharpened, resembling the claws of a predator rather than the nails of a human boy.

His teeth had changed similarly, with fangs not dissimilar from a vampire's visible amongst rows of duller but still razor sharp bicuspids and molars. Even his ears were a little pointy, giving them a somewhat elvish quality.

Both of his irises were initially an unnatural blood red, but the sclera of the left eye was now an almost golden color, with the iris now closer to amber in color with only tinges of red. The iris was now a slit in the center of the eye, resembling that of a snake.

Aside from these drastic changes the boy had grown noticeably taller in the past four years, an extra foot or so of height that exacerbated his scrawny appearance. Perhaps the only thing they hadn't changed about him was the rat's nest called his hair. It was the same color as his left eye, a brilliant blond that highlighted all of the other changes forced upon him for the sake of "getting closer to the truth of magic discovered our great Master Zeref" they said. These changes were mostly hidden from sight by the virtue of his conveniently all-compassing cloak, but only when the shroud was wrapped tightly around himself.

But he wasn't in the middle of the woods for the hell of it. He had a job to do to make ends meet.

This boy was here to hunt.

Shaking off the grogginess of sleep, he did his best to try and discern the general path traveled by his mark. He had been tracking this particular monster for days on end with little food and barely any water. There was only so much ground an eight-year old could cover before he got tired, so he ended up taking breaks quite often.

Kyrie had finally gotten a decent lead, aided by the fact that his golden eye had let him see things not visible to your average him. Everyone seemed to to emit some kind of aura, a little of which they left in every thing they touched. Every being's aura was a little different, but one characteristic was share amongst them all was that the shade of the aura varied with the person's current intentions and/or mindset. Those with negative emotions or hidden intent have intensely dark auras, while those without such things have much brighter colored auras.

Another beneficial side effect of it was that his eyesight was enhanced immensely, allowing him to accurately see things from miles away much like a hawk.

With these two abilities in his arsenal he began hunting monsters in exchange for food money. Hunting vulnerable animals only goes so far when you feel guilty about it.

At the present, Kyrie was following the trail of footsteps left by his quarry. They led further and further into the forest and seemed to have no end in sight. He continued onward, undeterred before he came to a stop at a large clearing where an ominous and large aura gathered.

"The monster stopped, but why?" he muttered to himself as he peeked out from behind the brush he hid himself in.

The mark was a Behemoth-class monster, and its appearance certainly lived up to its name. It was the size of a small building, with powerful muscles all throughout its body. A row of spikes stuck out from each of its vertebrae with webbing in between, extending from the nape of the neck all the way to the tip of the tail. It was quadrupedal, with each foot adorned with razor sharp claws. Atop its head were sickly green horns that curved forward before ending in a point. Its jaws, as expected from a demon, were filled with nothing but veritable swords for teeth.

"Well, what do we have here?" the beast began in a low, guttural voice. Thinking he had been spotted Kyrie tensed up, readying himself to explode into action should the situation call for it.

"Take a deep breath." he instructed himself, "Chapter 1 page 2, the worst thing to do when fighting a demon is to be panic. Breathe." His attempts to do so failed as his blood went cold at the monster's next words.

"What an utterly delectable looking human girl. What are the chances of finding her away from her parents like this? Of course, not that I mind..."

"D-Don't go in without a plan..." Kyrie told himself, "Think it through before-"

The monster gave out a bloodcurdling roar of laughter, "Though... it'd be boring if I were to simply eat you. I'll give you a ten second head start. So go on little girl... _**run.**_"

Not a single sound could be heard except for the blowing of the breeze, which meant the girl was frozen by fear.

"You're not going to run? Too bad... I was feeling generous today. Oh well, I needed a snack anyway!"

This was all Kyrie could take, "To hell with it! _**Fire Demon's **__**Damning Fist**__**!**_" Fire enveloped his hands as he eschewed his element of surprise to charge in recklessly, his running speed enhanced by the stream of flame being emitted from his fists.

The demon turned to see the source of the sound just in time for Kyrie to enter his field of vision.

"Leave her alone!" He threw a vicious punch at the soft tissue of the demon's right eye, causing the beast to howl in pain as flame seared the sensitive flesh.

The boy leaped backward as he finished, placing himself between the behemoth and the girl. She seemed to be about his age and height with short hair of a dark blue and eyes the color of chocolate.

"G-get out of here!" he told her with his voice wavering somewhat, "I-I'll hold him off!"

"But..." the girl began.

"Just go!"

Finally she did, taking off back into the forest and out of sight. With the girl safe Kyrie returned his focus to his quarry, who was glaring at him for the damage he inflicted.

"Who do you think you are brat?!" bellowed the beast.

"K-Kyrie... a D-Devil Slayer!"

"You? A Devil Slayer?" The demon gave another of his deafening bellows as he guffawed at the thought. "Look at yourself! You're shuddering in fear! How could a runt like you be a Devil Slayer?"

Kyrie wouldn't deny it. He was _terrified_ now that he was looking at the creature dead in the eye with only a few feet of space separating them. Regardless, he tried his best to ignore the taunts, "C-chapter 1 page 5, Demons will say things to try and have you make a mistake. Ignore them and go for the kill!"

Staying low to the ground he made another charge towards the beast to gauge its reaction as he read earlier. Unfortunately for him, the massive beast was actually quite agile, leaping at least ten feet into the air to evade any sort of blow Kyrie could have thrown.

"No way!" he cried as his eyes widened in surprise.

"Did you really think I'd be done in by the likes of you? Now be crushed like the insect you are!" As gravity began pulling the monstrosity back down, Kyrie panicked as he tried to think of a means of getting out of the way in time, but in his franticness his mind could only draw blanks as his impending doom approached.

"_**Roar of the Sky Dragon!" **_A strong gust of wind blew into the boy, sending him flying backward rapidly but out of the reach of the beast as it slammed into the ground.

"What? Who did that?" roared the behemoth as it swung around looking for the source of the gale.

"Ow..." muttered Kyrie as he rubbed his head from the impact of slamming into a nearby tree. He too was wondering what pushed him out of the way.

"Are you hurt? I didn't blow too hard did I?" Looking up he saw the concerned looking face of the girl from earlier. Panicking once more he tugged his cloak over his face with his right hand to hide his deformities.

"I-I'm okay. But why are you here? It's dangerous!"

She put a finger to her lips, "Sh..."

Kyrie brought his voice down to a whisper, "S-sorry, but I can't let you get involved in this!"

She looked away, "I couldn't just leave you... and I helped didn't I?"

Before he could respond the behemoth burst through the brush again, "I found you brats!" It swiped at them with his massive paw, which prompted Kyrie to knock the girl out of the way and intercept it himself, barely holding it back.

"This kind of strength... what are you?"

The boy didn't answer, being preoccupied with keeping him from getting closer. Embers began to gather in his mouth in preparation for the Devil Slayer's signature attack.

"_**Fire Demon's Rage!**_" An intense torrent of flames and molten rock left Kyrie lips, aimed directly at the beast in front of him. The demon's entire face was soon scorched with heat comparable to that of hellfire, forcing it to retreat backwards as the flames threatened to consume him.

"Graaah! You'll pay for that!" It began thrashing around aimlessly, its tail slamming into Kyrie with enough force to send him flying into another tree, the splinters piercing his human skin painfully before he landed.

Now nearly blind as a result of the flames, the demon continued towards the girl, using its sense of smell as a means of tracking her instead.

She ran towards Kyrie as it approached, the beast almost within pouncing distance as it continued to howl in pain.

Realizing that she was going to be caught she stopped. Reaching up to the sky a magic circle opened at her feet as she shouted, "_**O' swift wind that races though the heavens! **__**Vernier!"**_ As she threw her arms out to the sides both Kyrie and herself were enveloped in a glowing magical aura, letting her swiftly float towards Kyrie's location and out of the reach of the demon chasing her.

Kyrie was still trying to shake off the effects of the demon's blow, and thus was shocked when he started floating off the ground.

"W-what's happening?" He was answered by the girl rushing past him, grabbing him and pulling him away just as the monster threw itself towards where he had laid on the ground, narrowly dodging its claws as they floated away at high speed.

"Don't worry, it's my magic. I'm a Sky Dragon Slayer."

"Dragon Slayer?"

"Yeah, my mother taught me."

"I see..." memories of his village burning returned painfully at the thought of his mother, "Hey! Watch out for that-"

The pair crashed into yet _another_ tree, sending them careening towards the ground, coming to a stop as they tumbled into a large slab of uprooted bedrock.

"Ah... sorry! I wasn't watching where we were going! I'm also still learning..."

"N-no... I distracted you. Sorry... I wouldn't have forced you to save me if I was better at fighting..."

The awkward silence continued for about half a minute before the girl broke the silence, "Um... I never learned your name. I'm Wendy, Wendy Marvell."

"Oh, um... I'm Kyrie... I don't know my last name."

"Eh? Why?"

The boy grimaced at the question, "I don't want to talk about it."

"Oh..."

The conversation was cut short by the sound of rumbling and trees falling.

The behemoth was still coming for them.

"Wendy, can you do anything else?"

"Um... I've never tried them before but I have spells that can strengthen people and make it harder to hurt them."

"Then use them on me! It'll be here soon!"

"Y-you're going to fight it by yourself?"

"I d-don't think we have much choice do we?" he put on his bravest face, turning to her with the hood of his cloak still obscuring the left side of it. "B-Besides...I'm a Devil Slayer! It's my job to fight monsters, isn't it?"

"Devil Slayer?"

"Y-yeah!" he tried to say with enthusiasm, "My father was a really strong one and he left me a book for me to learn his spells."

He straightened himself out to look a bit more imposing, "S-so, it's my duty! I'll protect you! I promise!"

She stared at him for a few moments as she contemplated whether or not she could trust this mysterious boy to fight on her behalf. Finally, she nodded, raising her arms to the sky once again as magic circles opened beneath Kyrie's feet.

Wendy then put her arms out to her sides before chanting, "_**O' swift **__**winds**__** that reside above us all, **__**grant this brave soul the power to cleave the heavens, brave the storms, and ride the gales! **__**Arms x Armor x Vernier!**_"

Kyrie began floating a bit just like before as the magic took its effect. After quickly getting a feel for it, he glanced at her one more time with the biggest smile he's had in ages, "Thank you, Wendy!"

With that he took off towards the demon, prepared to end this fight once and for all. As scared as he was to be simply flying straight at the beast with more than enough power to kill him several times over, he refused to let anyone suffer the way he did if he could help it.

"Chapter 3, page 4... Whenever possible, launch a preemptive attack! The first strike wins! _**Fire Demon's Evil Claws!**_" Fire wrapped around his hands once more, this time shaping itself into pointed appendages of the spell's namesake.

The beast didn't (to be fair, it couldn't) see this attack coming, leaving him unable to dodge as both claws tore into the flesh of its terrible visage once more. In response it swiped at the Devil Slayer, an attack that would have easily cleaved him in two had it not been for Wendy's Armor spell.

"You shitty half-human!" it growled, attempting to snap at Kyrie with the blades its maw.

"I am human!" he yelled back, managing to dodge the fangs of the beast but was soon caught by its left claw.

"Are you now? Then why does half of your body resemble that of a demon's? I'll squeeze the answer out of you myself." The monster followed through on its word, crushing Kyrie in his grip with incredible pressure.

The boy could practically hear his bones creak in protest as they strained against the force attacking against them. Still, he refused to give in. He released flames all over his body, burning the creature yet again as it struggled to maintain his grip on the young slayer of demons.

"_**Fire Demon's Rampage!**_" Rings of flame and molten rock began lining the lengths of his arm before being launched in several waves of searing torment, causing volcanic glass and rock cut into its skin and thus allowing the burning matter to seep inside the wounds instead of merely scorching the epidermis of the skin. This forced the demon's crushing grip wide open, freeing the Devil Slayer in training.

"You bear the visage of a demon, you share in our ferocity, you even have the scent of a monster. How can you possibly deny that you are one of us?" it stated in an attempt to unnerve the boy.

"I-I look a little bit different... I can't deny that."

"Then do you finally admit it?"

"No! I might look like a demon..." He put his left hand on his chest as if to reassure himself, but my heart is definitely a human's! Because of that I will fight you!" Kyrie rushed him once more, aiming for the places where the hide of the beast was thinnest, easily tearing those places open with his own claws enhanced by the Dragon Slayer's magic.

"If that is so, then why are you ashamed of your appearance? Why do you hide from those humans you say you need to protect? What sort of fantasy are you trying to live out you brat?" It roared as it retaliated, attempting to impale Kyrie with the spikes on its tail, only for him to float out of the way in time so that it only caught his leg. Quickly slicing off the bony spike, he continued his assault with impunity.

"I'm a little scared of what they think... People don't understand me because of the way I look, and sometimes they can be as scary as any demon."

"Then why do you protect the humans that despise you!"

"But that doesn't mean anything in the end! I won't become a monster just because of the things that happened to me! I will stay a human, even if no one knows it!"

Flying beneath the beast he let his left foot ignite as he flipped upward, "_**Fire Demon's Talons!**_" The attack tore through the soft underbelly of the beast, slowing it down further as the soft inner organs threatened to spill out without the muscle and skin to hold it in.

Even with this Kyrie was not finished, flying towards the throat of the beast and impaling it with his hands, both coated with flames, "One who uses the power of monsters to fight monsters..."

Ripping out as much as he could to leave lasting internal damage, he moved on to the demon's back. At this point the beast was blinded, disabled, and nearly disemboweled, but Kyrie knew better than to risk leaving it alive. Demons are resilient creatures, second only to dragons in their ability to resist death, and thus one had to do everything possible to make sure one was truly slain.

"Through the most brutal of methods they protect humans from the forces of evil..." He clasped his hands together, bringing them down in a powerful blow on the beast's central vertebrae, the force of blow reverberating through muscle as he continued to beat the demon senseless.

"They tear the flesh, devour the bone, and even consume the souls of those who would prey upon humans..." Finally, he prepared to land the finishing blow, ready to end this fight with the demon's death.

He focused all of his remaining magical power into his hands, forming a massive blade twice as large as he was composed entirely of still glowing hot volcanic rock and its edge made of obsidian glass, making it sharper than any normal steel blades. "That is a Devil Slayer!"

"_**Fire Demon's Obsidian Cleaver!**_"

He let gravity assist him in swinging the massive weapon, cutting deep into the beast's spine with a satisfying crack, with the glass edge fragmenting as it cut deeper and deeper, finally stopping halfway through its body before finally detonating in an explosive burst of magma.

Despite his victory, he was still exhausted and damn near ready to collapse. He ended up doing just that, with Wendy's magic fading he was now far too weak to even sit up properly, merely falling off his quarry's back like a rag doll.

Even still, he didn't forget to do one important thing to truly ensure that the demon was dead. He inhaled deeply, a dark orb exited the body of the slain beast before entering Kyrie's mouth, which he then proceeded to chew and swallow. A brief, uncomfortable feeling passed through his body as he took in a fraction of the power that demon had in life, but he recovered enough of his strength to drag himself over to the demon's body and lean on it to slow the loss of blood.

He breathed heavily, trying get more oxygen into his system as he fought to remain conscious. His efforts seemed in vain, however, as his eyelids only seemed to grow heavier and heavier. Soon they felt as if they were lead weights, with every last bit of his remaining energy required to keep them from closing.

The last thing he remembered seeing before things went dim were Wendy's chocolate brown eyes.

* * *

**X776 – Tower of Heaven**

* * *

When Kyrie had finally caught his breath and regained his ability think and perceive things clearly the first thing he felt was the combined gaze of a half dozen pairs of eyes in an incredibly dim lit room.

Startled, he jumped back, plastering himself against the wall and practically curling into a ball as he attempted to avert those gazes.

"Hey, don't be scared, we're not going to hurt you." said the owner of first pair of eyes. As he stepped closer Kyrie could see that they belonged to a boy more than a few years older than him. He had bright blue hair and a red tattoo over his right eye. "I'm Jellal, nice to meet you Kyrie."

The younger boy's eyes widened as he heard his name, having never told it to this boy before.

"N-nice to m-meet you." stuttered Kyrie, meekly returning the gesture while still remaining as terrified as ever.

Jellal chuckled at little at Kyrie's response, "You don't need to look so surprised. Erza told me your name."

"E-Erza?" He could only vaguely remember the face and name of the girl who had helped him earlier as a result of both his age and physical exhaustion.

"Sorry for startling you, but since we're going to be stuck here for a while we might as well get to know each other."

Jellal began pointing out the rest of the nearby slaves. "The boy with blond hair is Sho, that's Wally, this is Simon, the girl over here is Milliana, and you already know Erza and I."

Kyrie only nodded at this information, unsure of what to do with it as he was still confused by the whole situation.

"I guess this is a little too much to take in all at once, but we're kind of like a family right now. We look out for each other, making sure everyone is okay. So don't worry, everything is going to be alright."

"It is?" Kyrie may have been young, but he wasn't entirely naive.

"Yeah! We're all going to get out of here someday. I just know it. So cheer up and get to sleep, you're going to need it for tomorrow."

Jellal's reassuring smile made Kyrie really wonder if they had a way out of this. He didn't need to be asked twice to go to sleep though, for he was already too tired to stay awake much longer.

* * *

**X780 – Cait Shelter Guild**

* * *

The next time Kyrie woke up after beating the behemoth was in a soft, warm bed.

This only made him fly into yet another panic as two questions quickly sprung into his mind.

"Where am I?! Where's my cloak and book?!"

"Oh, you're awake?" he heard the voice of a young woman say. He dove under the covers in response, hoping to hide himself from sight.

As he cowered under the flimsy fabric he heard a sigh as the cloth was pulled off, leaving him feeling exposed and vulnerable.

"Geez, did you really kill a Behemoth-class monster with that kind of personality?"

He looked up to see a woman with her dark hair in a bob. She was wearing a black blouse with a double arc design woven in crimson thread across the chest. She also wore a somewhat tattered cloak along with shorts and an anklet wrapped around her right leg.

"Hey, calm your nerves kid. I'm not going to hurt you. So sit up, we have quite a bit to talk about."

He sat up but continued to shudder more than a Canis Minor would, "W-where am I?"

"At the Cait Shelter guild building. You've slept the entire morning."

"Guild? Like a magic guild?"

"Yeah, ya saved one of our members yesterday. Though, you wouldn't believe how Wendy carried you all the way back here. You covered her clothes with your blood ya know?"

"I d-did? S-sorry..." He received a finger flick between the eyes, "Ow! I t-thought you said you weren't going to hurt me!"

"Stop stuttering! You sound like a blubbering baby!"

"I-I'll try..."

"Anyway, she ended up saving you as well. Who knew that Sky Dragon Slayer magic was also one of the long lost healing magics. Without it ya probably would've died."

"Oh..." He seemed to wilt like a flower as he realized how much trouble he put these people through.

These thoughts were interrupted as he received another finger flick, "What was that one for?"

"Stop loathing yourself! You handled a monster that most of our members wouldn't have lasted a minute against. It's like you've never received a single word of praise in your life. Where ya from?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I was too young to learn my hometown's name, okay!" he barked back in a tone that even surprised himself, "Besides... it's gone."

"What happened to it?"

His fingers curled into fists, wrinkling the bed sheets, "Cultists. They burned it to the ground."

"Why? Do all of your folks look like you?"

"Of course not!" Kyrie growled back, once again surprising himself, "Sorry... it's just-"

"I get it. I get it. It's a sore spot for you. I'll let you open up when you're ready. The name's Higana. I basically act as the local doctor around these parts, though I'll be out of a job once Wendy gets better at healing people!" She punctuated the train of thought with a hearty burst of laughter.

"I have to admit, your appearance is a bit shocking. A few of us were debating whether to help you or throw you out for the monsters to eat."

Higana got another good laugh as Kyrie turned pale at her last statement, "Luckily for you we're a pretty nice bunch, Wendy especially."

"Where is she right now?"

"At the moment, doing the same thing you were until a few minutes ago. That was her first time using her magic like that, so she ended up burning herself out to save you."

"Sorry..." He earned himself another flick to the forehead.

"Stop saying sorry! Geez, it's fine to say it when you've actually done something wrong but between you and Wendy you'll out-apologize the entire guild. Don't worry about her. She just needs some bed rest and she'll be fine."

"Anyway, the master wants to see you. You're not hurting anywhere are you?"

"Uh..." He began testing his range of motion, and a feeling of amazement took over as he realized that there wasn't a single trace of his previous injuries left. No scratches, gashes, scrapes, or scabs, not even a dull ache. If anything he was feeling pretty energetic.

"That Dragon Slayer Magic is really something. I can hardly believe that you were a bleeding mess last night. So come on, you can't leave an old man waiting now can you?"

"B-But my cloak..."

"The old man has it and your book too. If you want them back you'll have to talk to him."

"But-"

"No buts! Let's face it, after what you did no one is going to care how you look. You saved Wendy, and that's all that matters."

"Really?" At least from his own personal experience, people tended to run away screaming bloody murder upon seeing his demonic traits.

"Yeah, now out of bed with you." He got to his feet, a little wobbly at first from being in bed all day, but soon found himself walking comfortably as if nothing had happened the day before.

"Good, everything seems to be working just fine. Now dodge!" She swung around, bringing her foot up to Kyrie's eye level, leading him to dive to the floor to evade it.

"Where did that one come from?!" he cried in shock at the sudden attack.

"Sorry, just checking to make sure your reflexes work. I wasn't actually going to hit you."

"I-Isn't there a knee test for that?"

"Yup, but my method is a lot more fun since I get to see their reaction afterward!"

"_D-Does everything want to hurt me?"_ he thought to himself with a sigh.

"Times a wastin', hurry up kid!" she ran off with a smile, much to Kyrie's disbelief.

"Am I really going to be okay?" he muttered to himself.

* * *

Walking around the railing and down the stairs to the main lobby, he was greeted by a chorus of cheers from most if not all of the people in the room. They rushed to him, patting him on the back with one hand while taking a swig of booze with the other.

"Great job, kid!"

"You saved our little angel, thanks!"

"Not bad for a shorty!"

His eyes widened in equal parts happiness, surprise, and panic (again). On one hand, the praise was unexpected but welcome. He had never captured the admiration of anyone in his short life, so seeing so many people happy with his actions made him beam with pride inside. On the other, seeing all of the people crowd around him at once was making him feel rather nervous and uncomfortable, even claustrophobic. This was only worsened by the nauseating smell of beer and liquor.

"C-Can I have some breathing room, please!" he asked as politely as possible in his attempt to maintain his composure. To his relief they promptly dispersed after a wave of apologies.

He then made his way to the bar where Higana was standing. Next to her was the old man she spoke of. He had shrunken due to old age, with a rather voluminous beard and a headdress of feathers atop his head. The tan skinned old man was pouring liquor into a glass, before oddly enough drinking straight from the bottle instead of from the container he poured the beverage into.

"Ah, you must be the boy that saved Wendy's life. She was singing nothing but praises about you earlier."

Kyrie blushed at the continued praise, fidgeting "Y-Yes. To be fair, she did save me too..."

"There's no need to be so modest. We're partying because you did an incredibly admirable thing. Risking one's own life to save another is not something to take lightly, especially for one so young."

He raised a hand as if to pause the conversation. "U-Um, may I have my cloak back first? I-I get really nervous without it."

"It's right here. I must say, it's a fine piece of work." Kyrie took it into his hands eagerly before wrapping it around himself, quickly following this with a sigh of relief.

"I couldn't have done it without Wendy. She helped me even though she didn't know a thing about me."

"Ah yes, but that's how we survive as humans. We may be weaker than the things that plague us, but together we've conquered them all the same."

The old man took another sip, not even bothering to swallow before he continued speaking, "That said, may I ask how you acquired your appearance? Surely you weren't born that way, were you?"

Kyrie clutched his head in pain as the excruciating memories resurfaced, "No... I didn't want... It wasn't my choice... I-I just don't want to talk about it okay!"

"Hey, are you alright?" asked Higana at Kyrie's sudden response.

Upon seeing the tears at the corners of the young Devil Slayer's eyes the old man ceased this line of questioning, "I see... I'll let you talk when you're ready. Say, do you have a home young man?"

"No." Kyrie answered quickly and bluntly, now irritated by the previous series of questions.

"Would you like one?"

"Huh?" the Devil Slayer's expression softened as he heard that particular phrase.

"My name is Roubaul, as you may know, I'm the guild master here at Cait Shelter. We have a large building and a large guild. It certainly wouldn't hurt to have one more."

"You want me in your guild? But-"

"I'm fairly certain Higana already told you this, we don't judge others by their appearances here. We judge them by their actions. You young man have more than earned yourself in the place of the hearts of our members and I'm sure none would protest if you were to become a part of us. So, would you like to join our guild? Better yet, would you like to become a part of our family?"

That last question was the very set of words Kyrie had been waiting to hear for years. His eyes could not contain his tears anymore, and they began to fall despite his attempts restrain them.

"Oh my, did I say something wrong?"

The young boy wiped away the tears from his eyes with his right arm. "N-No, not at all! It's just that... I really want to join! I want a family. I want a home! So... please?"

The old guild master smiled, "Consider it done." He held out his hand, a sparkling light appearing around Kyrie's right shoulder as he did so. It gradually peeled away to show the red silhouette of a cat with a long, slender body and a matching tail, Cait Shelter's guild symbol.

"Everyone!" boomed the diminutive old man, silencing the entire hall, "I have some important news to share with you all! It seems that we have a new guild member. So why don't we all give him a nice warm welcome! Bring out more booze! We have much to celebrate tonight!"

With that the party grew even louder and more festive, with everyone singing, dancing, and generally having a good time. With that Roubaul flashed another smile at the boy.

"Welcome to Cait Shelter, Kyrie."

* * *

Omake #1 – Drinking Habits

* * *

In the middle of the party everyone was still drinking, Roubaul included. Something about his method of doing so confused the eight-year old Devil Slayer.

"Um... Mr. Roubaul- er, Master?"

"Yes?" replied the Guild Master, his mouth still full of alcohol.

"Why do you talk with your mouth full of beer?"

"It's faster than waiting to swallow it then talking. Why else?"

"Well, aren't you wasting it by letting it spill out of your mouth and onto the floor?"

The old man froze at the revelation, "I never thought about it that way."

Needless to say, Kyrie performed a face fault at his Guild Master's response.

* * *

Another new story! For those of you who've read my other stories you might think I'm writing way too many at one time. As a matter of fact, you're probably right.

It's just that I don't like having ideas float in my head. When I have one I feel would make a really good story I have to put it to paper somehow. Ever since Silver showed up in the manga this idea has been hanging in my head and it's taken me forever to put it together in a way that I wanted.

Anyway, on this story and my conception of Kyrie as a character. In my four other stories I've written practically fearless characters who charge into battle confident of their abilities with plenty of combat experience.

So, for this story I decided to do the exact opposite. Sure, he certainly isn't _weak_, but he definitely does not hold a very high opinion of his ability in combat either. Chances are that he will get trashed by those who aren't vulnerable to his magic (namely any human Mage). He's timid, he's definitely nice like my other characters, but he is by no means going to be helpless (unless he goes against something way out of his league of course).

Though about my idea of Fire Devil Slayer magic, it's properties are going to be somewhere in between Natsu's and Gajeel's in which he clobbers his foes but also crafts weapons out of barely cooled lava when slicing or penetration is required. It's going to focus purely on melee combat (no bows and arrows like Gray) and he won't be getting a secret art until much later. Kyrie is also going to work that cloak into his combat style, which won't be apparent until I plan it out in the next few chapters (or if you're one of the few that actually read my profile these past few weeks). The cloak is pretty touchy because it's going to be powerful (I wonder if my God-Mode Sue writing cousin is rubbing off on me) but I am definitely putting limitations on it.

I won't go abandoning any of my other stories. My updates have always been rather erratic, and this honestly won't be much of an exception. I'm a hobbyist, not a professional. I don't have deadlines. I write for my own enjoyment (and the enjoyment of you all of course) whenever I feel like it. However it plays it out, I promise to continue writing as much as possible with my endless school work in the way along with my other hobbies. Heck, the only reasons I was able to even finish this first chapter was the fact that it's currently Winter Break and I'm on a plane en route to San Francisco (my fifth time on a plane) as I'm writing this (at midnight no less!). So yeah, that's all for now. Tell me what you think with a review and I'll gladly answer any questions.

Thanks for reading everyone and I'll see you next time!

P.S. For those of you who are reading my other Fairy Tail related story, Fairy's Kaiser, I'll try to update that by the end of the month at the very latest assuming life permits it. Thank you for your patience!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. All characters and concepts that are not my own belong to their respective owners.

* * *

Kyrie awoke face up on a hard, uncomfortable table made of ebony wood in the shape of a coffin. His limbs were restrained by iron chains attached to wooden stakes planted into the edges of the table.

The crimson irises of his eyes could be seen darting around his surroundings, trying desperately to figure out where he was.

"Oh look... The boy is awake. Excellent..." the words rolled off the tongue of a man who had clearly been waiting a long time for this moment by the sound of anticipation in his voice.

Moments later several figures, their visages obscured by flowing dark robes with hoods, to appear all around him. The only features the boy could make out were the grins of excitement amongst the hooded men.

They were comparable to sharks about to enter a feeding frenzy.

"Is his demon particle count as high as you say it is?" asked one.

"Indeed... I dare say that his particle count is almost at the level of one of Master Zeref's Etherious." replied another.

"Then why hasn't he been poisoned by such a concentrated amount of demonic power?"

"That remains unknown to us... Then again, it is none of our concern. Shall we begin?"

"With pleasure..."

A magic circle inscribed with a pentagram the color of blood began glowing under Kyrie's body.

The hooded figures began chanting in some ancient-sounding language, the light from the magic circle gradually glowing brighter as they did so.

Suddenly scorching pain shot through all of Kyrie's nerves without a moment's warning. Unable to free himself, his struggles were in vain as he was forced to watch in horror at the changes being forced upon him.

The skin all along the left side of his body began peeling away, revealing an inhuman complexion the same color as the magic circle he was forced onto. His teeth seemed to realign themselves forcefully, growing into fangs capable of tearing human flesh from bone with ease.

Worst of all was the stabbing sensation that pervaded his left eye. He screamed in agony as the feeling of a thousand knives piercing it simultaneously erupted all at once, causing the cultists' grins to only grow even wider as their desired result came to fruition.

Kyrie was lucky enough to pass out as the light from the magic circle faded, sparing him from further agony as the excruciating metamorphosis finalized itself.

"Help... please!" he could barely whisper as his senses faded into an unflinching, black oblivion.

* * *

Kyrie bolted awake caked with sweat and breathing heavily, very nearly throwing himself out of bed from the abrupt action.

He glanced around the room, pinching himself to make sure he wasn't in yet another nightmare. He finally took another deep breath before letting out slowly.

"T-that was in the past. It won't happen again..." he told himself, "I hope..."

Finding himself too jittery to go back to sleep he decided to head outside for some fresh air in hopes that it would clear his head and calm his nerves enough for him to go back to sleep.

Making his way outside he walked about for a while (being sure to mark numerous trees along the way as not to lose his way) before coming to a stop in front of a smoothly running riverbank.

The stream was neither great in depth nor wide in its girth. It wasn't quite a rushing rapid, but far from a peaceful brook. He decided to sit at the edge of the bank, dipping his feet into the crystal clear water while admiring the splendors nature had to offer. The forest was situated near the summit of the mountain, not very far from the Cait Shelter Guild Hall.

Contrary to the cramped quarters of the dank, dimly lit cells he spent several months in the forest's expanse felt wild and free. Illuminated by the stars above and the moon's watchful gaze there was plenty of light to go around, made even easier by the sharpness of his demon eye.

He enjoyed every breath he took here. The air was chill, but not overly so. Every pocket of it entered and exited his lungs as smoothly as one's hand would run along finely woven silk. The scent of pine and the local flora could be easily detected amongst the refreshing breeze, almost as if the sylvan woods were beckoning him to lie down on the soft grass and rest comfortably.

The Tower of Heaven had always been steaming hot with the pungent smell of sweat, blood, and tears amongst the dust that everyone choked on. Breathing was a labor in itself, the filthy atmosphere never penetrated by any more than a rare draft which always failed to alleviate the terrible conditions.

In short, the area was the complete antithesis of the conditions of the Tower of Heaven, a fact Kyrie relished in.

This however, backfired in regards to trying to get to sleep as nature's wonders only made him want to stay up even longer. Withdrawing his book from the confines of his cloak he began to read through its contents as he always did.

* * *

Chapter 9

A Devil Slayer should not disregard all demons are mere monsters to be slain. Like humans they are capable of both incredible good and terrifying evil. One demon may be as hospitable to you as any human would, but it should be noted that another may be willing to murder you all the same.

The same can be said for Devil Slayers. It is a magic capable of devastating feats of destruction should it be mishandled and used for the wrong reasons, but it can also be used to protect those who are dear to you. How it is used all depends on your strength of character. However, I hope that you decide to use it for the latter cause as many unfortunate Devil Slayers have been known to succumb to rage and hate, becoming worse than the monsters they were supposed to hunt.

* * *

"Become worse than the monsters they were supposed to hunt..." Kyrie frowned as he read the final line of that section once again. He glanced at his left arm as the word monster echoed in his head.

"N-No! I'm not a monster! Things... just happened! Right?" he slumped with a sigh as the thought refused to leave his mind. He wondered how he managed to sound so confident in front of the terrifying behemoth, yet could not even convince himself of his own humanity when he was alone and out of danger.

"Kyrie?" The boy jumped at the sound of his name, tripping over a rock before falling into the river.

"C—c-cold!" he sputtered as he recoiled from the unexpected bath.

"Ah, sorry!"

As he pried the sopping wet hood off his face he could see Wendy holding out her hand for him to grab. He instinctively pulled the hood back down as he took her hand gratefully.

"Th-th-thanks." He tried to say through chattering teeth.

"N-Not a problem... Um..." She began twiddling her fingers, "You don't need to hide your face."

"Oh..." He had completely forgotten about the fact that she was the one who had carried him back to the Cait Shelter Guild Hall. He removed his hood again, albeit very reluctantly.

"Oh, I need to help you get dry!" She began scouring every nook and cranny for anything that could be used as a towel.

"Y-you don't need to do that." He stepped a few feet away before covering himself in flames, evaporating all of the water off his body within seconds.

"What are you doing up at night?" asked Wendy as the flames died down.

"I couldn't sleep. What about you?" he replied, now warm enough to speak coherently.

"I spent the whole day sleeping so I couldn't sleep either."

"Oh. So um, thanks for saving me earlier."

"Eh? You were the one who saved me from that monster."

"I mean, I was hurt really badly and I would've died if you weren't there. Sorry for making you go through that."

She shook her head, "I was just returning the favor." She bowed slightly, "Um, sorry for putting you in danger in the first place!"

"What? N-No... it's my duty and all to fight monsters and all. But..." He averted his gaze as those depressing thoughts returned.

"But what?"

"Do you... think I'm a freak?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, look at me. Half of me looks like something out of one of Zeref's books. That monster kept saying that I was the same as him. Is that... true?"

"Um... I don't think you look like a freak."

"Huh? Why?" he asked dumbfounded to her quick response, "My skin is blood red, my left eye looks like a snake's, I have scales."

"Well if it's just that, then my mom has eyes like that. She has scales too."

Kyrie's perplexed expression prompted her to try and clear up his confusion, "I forgot I didn't tell you. My mom is a dragon."

"Eh?" was the most complex response he could come up with as he was thrown into even further confusion.

"Grandeeney the Sky Dragon took me in when I was very little. She taught me how to read and write. She also taught me how to use my magic, but I'm not very good at it yet."

"You're not? But you did so many things with it."

She nodded, "Thank you, but... I still haven't learned the attack magic and I needed to get better at healing. You're really amazing too though! They way you fought that monster was so brave!"

He blushed at the continued praise, "Um, I'm not very good at my magic either. I never met my dad, but according to this book he was a Devil Slayer too and one of the very best. He could have taken care of that monster with one hit!"

He slumped over in thought, "I just hope he's out there somewhere."

"I feel the same way about Grandeeney."

"But I thought she-"

"She vanished four years ago. I woke up one day and she was gone. I called to her and cried, but she didn't come back. I then got lucky because a boy named Jellal brought me here to the Cait Shelter Guild."

"Did you say Jellal?" he asked at the sound of the very familiar name.

When she nodded an almost crazed look of excitement spread across his face as he quickly put his hands on Wendy's shoulders, staring straight into her eyes, "Did he have blue hair? A red tattoo over his right eye?"

"Uh... yes?"

"That means they're okay. That means they're okay!" he cheered at the news.

It was Wendy's turn to be confused, "Um... What are you talking about?"

"Ah, um... It's a long story, but four years ago Jellal was like a brother to me and-" he stopped as he heard rustling from the brush behind them. He instinctively enveloped his hand in flames before turning towards the direction of the noise.

He once again, however, paused as he recognized the aura of the person hiding behind the tree. It was the same color as her namesake, a bright crimson flower that bloomed at the beginning of autumn.

He lowered his hand and extinguished the flames, "Higana-san, what are you doing here?"

"Darn... I was hoping that you guys would say something juicy, but I suppose your a little young for that." she muttered as she stepped out into the open, "Anyway, that should be my line. You kids are way too young to be up this late."

"I couldn't sleep." the pair said in unison.

"Why not?"

Kyrie hesitated, but Wendy had nothing to hide, "I was sleeping all day."

"What about you, kid?"

"Um..." he began shuffling nervously as her gaze gradually grew more intense, fixating on every little sign of distress. She stepped closer and closer until their faces were nearly touching.

"Hmm..." She murmured as she continued to scan the eight-year old and didn't even blink once as she did so.

Kyrie, unnerved by this, he threw his hood over his head again, "Too close! Too close!"

"Relax, I'm just trying to see what's bothering you."

"You're bothering me right now!"

Finally she stepped back, giving the boy some much needed breathing room, "Let's see, nervousness, fidgeting, cold sweats, and reluctance to talk about the issue. You've been having nightmares haven't you?"

"Huh? How did you-"

"I told you, I'm a doctor. It's my job to be able to figure out what ails ya. How long have you been having these?"

He finally relented under her inquisitive gaze, "Every week for the past four years."

"That... isn't healthy to say the least. What the heck happened to you?"

He slumped before pointing at his demonized half as if to say, "Isn't it obvious?" in the most polite manner possible.

"It's not surprising that a kid your age would have nightmares from that kind of experience. Do you wanna talk about it?"

Kyrie shook his head just as he did before.

"Well, whenever you're ready. If I force you it'll probably make things worse. So..." She began tugging on the young mages' ears. "Back to bed for both of you. You two won't grow if you stay up too late."

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" they cried as Higana dragged them both back to the guild hall.

* * *

After tucking Wendy back into bed Higana took Kyrie to his room but told him to stay up for a little while longer before exiting the room. She returned around ten minutes later, holding a glass of milk.

"Drink this."

"Huh? B-But I'm not a baby!" That comment earned him a flick to the forehead.

"I'm not calling you one! Warm milk is just supposed to help you get to sleep. Besides, it'll help a shorty like you get taller."

With that reasoning Kyrie took the glass into his hands he quickly downed its contents.

"Why is it so sweet?" he asked as he finished the beverage.

"I thought that a kid like you would like sugar so I added a little honey. But I'm not here to give you a snack. I'm here to talk with you."

He gulped, "I-I'm not in trouble, am I?"

"Nope. However, I know I told you earlier that you could talk to me about your problems when you felt ready, but the Guild Master said we should talk about them sooner rather than later. Four years straight is way too long for any person to have recurring nightmares, and I can't help you unless you tell me. Do you trust me?"

As cheeky (and possibly sadistic) as she was, Kyrie couldn't find a reason to distrust her in her facial expressions or her aura. It had been a long time since he'd seen an adult as concerned for him as the one standing in front of him. After a long pause he slowly nodded.

She placed his hands on his shoulders as if to steady him, "Alright then. We'll take it slow. Just tell me if things get a bit too uncomfortable. You told me that you were taken from your village when you were four. What happened after that?"

"The cultists... took me to this place called the Tower of Heaven."

"Something tells me that place isn't as nice as it sounds."

He nodded at the nurse's inference, "It was supposed to be some big machine that would revive Zeref. They used me, and a lot of other people to build it, threatening us with weapons and magic. I was kicked around, shot at, and hit a lot of the time for being small."

"Then what happened?"

"Some of the other slaves took me in. The ones I knew best were Erza-nee, Jellal-nii, and Rob-jii. Erza-nee and Jellal-nii were like older siblings to me, and Rob-jii was really nice too. He taught me how to read and write, and about magic and guilds when the guards weren't looking."

"It doesn't end there, does it?"

"One of the other slaves, Sho, came up with a plan to get us all out. But the Tower's mages caught us and..." Tears appeared at the edges of his eyes, "They took Erza-nee and tortured her. They took out her..." he trailed off as he remembered the gory details of what happened to Erza.

Higana began stroking his neck as she began consoling him,"We can stop here. Now I have a brief understanding what you've been through... it's harsh. No kid should have to go through something like that, especially not a sweet one like you."

Kyrie averted his gaze once more as he blushed at the praise. Despite this, his face remained as sullen as ever. "D-Do you think... that Erza and Jellal would hate me if they looked at what a monster I am now?" he asked as he once again glanced at his left arm.

_"So he has image issues as a result of what those cultists did to him. Damn it, why do so many idiots follow that shitty Dark Mage anyway?"_ Higana thought as she bit the skin of her thumb, trying to come up with how to convince the poor kid in front of her that he isn't some creature to be feared.

"Let me tell you what I think. You're a good kid, one of the best I've seen in ages. If your parents were to look at you now they'd be proud of you for going out of your way to slay monsters for the sake of others. You're thoughtful, kind, humble, and unbelievably selfless. What happened to you wasn't your fault, and you don't need to be ashamed of how you look. Your actions speak volumes more than your appearance, and I know your friends will recognize you for who you are rather than what you look like once you find them."

He looked up at her, staring straight into her own with both his piercing red and his striking golden eyes, "Will they?"

"Why wouldn't they?"

"The townsfolk... they called me names whenever they saw me without my hood."

Higana thought pensively before asking, "Like what?"

"Demon, Monster, Devil, Thing, It... It's always the same wherever I go. Even the thing I fought yesterday said it, said I was like him. I'm not a monster... am I?"

With how depressing things had gotten Higana decided to administer the best medicine for a child trodden with self-loathing.

A hug.

"Kyrie, you are definitely not a monster. A monster is something who inflicts pain without rhyme or reason. Some part of you might look like one of those things, but you're the exact opposite of that. I may have met you less than a day ago, but it's easy to tell that you and Wendy are the sweetest kids I've ever seen. You are nothing like them and don't let anyone else tell you otherwise, okay?"

The young Devil Slayer began tearing up again, but he wiped them away quickly before nodding gratefully.

She ruffled his hair playfully, "Now get to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day for you."

He complied, tucking himself into bed with his cloak as a blanket as the nurse began to leave. Before she did though, she had one final thought to leave with the boy before her, "If you need anything. You can count on your cool big sis here, alright? Sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite."

She decided to continue that train of thought with an additional statement, "Seriously, don't. They can give you all sorts of nasty infections and diseases."

He nodded emphatically, causing the nurse to crack a smile as she left the room.

As his head touched the fluffy pillow Kyrie closed his eyes, following suit with a smile of his own as he knew he could rest easy for the first in many nights.

* * *

The following morning Kyrie awoke to the hustle and bustle of the guild outside. With a stretch and a yawn he walked to the door, only to be grabbed by the hood and yanked backward.

Higana was wearing her trademark mischievous grin, "Morning, kid! Time for a bath!"

"Wait, now?" he asked as she began dragging him to the bathroom.

"Yes, now! You can't tell how filthy you are?"

Kyrie shrugged. The transition to living in secluded forests and caves right after living as a slave derailed his sense of cleanliness a long time ago.

"Why are we doing this all of a sudden? You didn't have a problem with it yesterday."

"It isn't healthy for anyone to be as dirty as you are. So come on, get in the tub already!"

She ended up stripping Kyrie and throwing him in when he moved too slowly for her tastes. Causing him to spit out water as she began scrubbing him down.

"I could have taken off my clothes by myself..." he muttered in embarrassment.

"Sorry kid, I'm an impatient person. Geez, you're even dirtier than I thought you were. The water is turning brown already. Did you ever take a bath with soap?"

"Um..." In all honesty, he couldn't remember the last time had taken a proper bath, or if he ever actually taken one at all.

She sighed, "I'll take that as a no. Alright, that should be enough. Time to get your new clothes."

He immediately perked up at the last phrase, "I'm getting new clothes?!"

"Of course. We can't let you run around in rags all day long."

A smile that went from ear to ear appeared on the eight-year old's face at the thought. For the first time in the longest he felt like the luckiest kid in the world.

"That's an expression I like to see. Get dried up and come over to the next room."

He did so when she finally left the bathroom. Giving him some feeling of decency again as he put his soon-to-be replaced clothes back on.

When he peered into the next room it was full of looms and people working at them. Each of them was working slowly but steadily, creating wonderful fabrics of every conceivable color and pattern, all of them dazzling to the eye.

"You must be the boy everyone is talking about." said the voice of an old woman as she walked over. The lady wore a cloak similar to Higana's, covering her hunched over back. Her hair had turned gray with age, the wrinkles on her face and the callouses on her hands indicating her worldly experience.

"I'm Higana's grandmother. What's your name, little boy?"

"Uh, Kyrie... Miss..."

"Just call me Granny. Almost everyone around here does."

"Okay... Um, Granny, Higana said-"

"Yes, my granddaughter told me that you needed new clothes. She certainly wasn't exaggerating when she said that you had the garments of a beggar."

He hung his head in shame, "Sorry..."

"That's certainly not your fault. We've all fallen on hard times at some point, though in your case it was quite early, wasn't it?"

"Yes... it was."

"My apologies. My ramblings tend to bother a lot of people and it seems I have dredged up some painful memories. Allow me to get to work. What would you like me to make for you?"

"Um..." Kyrie tried to think deeply about this, glancing around the room for ideas, but it wasn't long until one could practically see steam coming off his head.

"I've never thought about what I wanted to wear before... I just wanted clothes." he finally admitted after several minutes of deliberating.

"I see... Then I'll think of something for you. Let me take your measurements."

"Um... you don't need to do anything fancy. Just give me some regular clothes. Please."

"So you just want a set of regular, practical clothing... I can work with that. Are you sure you don't want anything else?"

The boy shook his head, "I don't want to be more trouble than I have to be."

"Very well. It won't take me very long then. You're welcome to watch if you want."

He didn't know what else to do, so he took a seat on the floor and watched the old woman work. The first thing she did was to take some white cloth and start cutting it into the shape of what appeared to be a shirt. She then cut a piece to go on top of it, but cut a slit down the middle, presumably so someone could put it on more easily. After sowing those two pieces together she added buttons, a dress collar, and cuffs for the sleeves, creating a formal-looking yet practical dress shirt. Then with a flourish she added a crest resembling a shield on the right sleeve near the shoulder before embroidering Cait Shelter's guild on the opposite sleeve, both in thread that shined with all the luster of gold.

"Wow..." Kyrie marveled at the creation and the fact that it took so little time to finish.

"Now, now. I'm not done yet. There's plenty more I'm going to make for you."

She then took black cloth and began fashioning a pair of trousers with pockets and belt loops. She made sure that each stitch was done tightly and thoroughly to ensure that they would last. She then began decorating it with the same gold thread throughout, but not garishly so as per the boy's requests.

Only a half hour later she had finished creating a belt with a number of satchels attached, a pair of fingerless leather gloves, a lightweight black vest to wear on top of the shirt, and even a pair of comfortable yet sturdy shoes.

"That should be it. Why don't you try these on and make sure they're a good fit?"

He was more than happy to, quickly running back to the bathroom to take off his dirty rags for the last time and slip on his new clothes. As expected, they fit perfectly neither too snug nor too loose. He ran his hand down the fabric, which was breathable and silky smooth to the touch. He would have been happy to get his clothes patched up or made of flax for all he cared, so this was above and beyond his expectations.

Even more exciting was the simple fact that he finally had a pair of shoes.

Shoes! Such a simple yet wonderful invention.

Never again would he cut his feet on rocks or have to walk along the cold ground barefoot. That thought alone made him ready to celebrate.

He ran back hastily, nearly tripping over in the process, "T-Thank you very much, Granny!"

"It's my pleasure. You look quite handsome in those, you know?"

"H-Handsome? Me? N-Not at all..." It was the last adjective he'd use to describe himself.

"I think you're adorable. Still, that's enough out of me. My granddaughter came in earlier saying that she had a solution to your problem."

"R-Really?!" This day seemed to just keep getting better and better.

"She's probably in the library right now so you should go see her."

"Okay then. Thank you again!"

She beamed, "Any time."

As he ran down the hallway he soon realized that he had no idea where the library was as he had not explored the Guild Hall yet. The interior of the building was surprisingly large and complex compared to its simplistic and cozy exterior, at least from the perspective of an eight year old who was barely breaking 4'5''. It wasn't long until he found himself aimlessly wandering the hallways.

When he turned one particular corner he wasn't watching where he was going and bumped into something.

"Sorry-" He looked up to see what looked up to see what appeared to be a mountain of muscle. The mountain was decorated with blue tribal tattoos all across its massive chest and arms. It towered Kyrie in height by several feet, and upon the mountain's peak was a mighty mustache that obscured the rest of its face.

It took moments for the boy to go into full apologetic mode, "I'm really, really sorry! Please don't-"

He then felt himself being picked up and slowly strangled by the massive boulders the man had for biceps.

"No, George should be the one apologizing. George offers his sincerest apologies for bumping into you, little boy."

Kyrie would have responded, but the lack of oxygen getting into his lungs and by extension his brain was making that very difficult.

"Is something the matter, little boy?"

Kyrie was making gagging noises at this point and turning green.

"What's wrong? Speak up."

Seconds later Kyrie's face had turned blue and he was completely unconscious.

* * *

When he came to he found himself in the infirmary again. He still had a throbbing headache from the rush of oxygen-filled blood to his brain, but at least he was functioning properly.

"You know, if you wanted to see me you should have just called rather than get yourself strangled half to death by George in one of his apologetic bear hugs." said Higana as she began mixing some kind of green concoction from the things on the table.

"It wasn't on purpose! I just didn't want to wait because you said..."

"You managed to get yourself completely lost when you could have just gone over to Wendy's room and asked for directions. Not exactly a smart decision, kid."

The realization of what the unnecessary trouble he caused hit him with all the subtlety of a lightning bolt, "Oh..."

"Meh. You're eight. Can't expect your critical thinking skills to be all that developed yet."

That slight of his intelligence did not go ignored. Every last remaining drop of his previous cheeriness evaporated in a heartbeat. "Sorry..."

She glanced back at him, "Sorry for what?"

"For being stupid and for causing you trouble."

"I never said that."

"You just did, didn't you?"

"Look, all I said was that you didn't think it through. Most boys your age do that. You'll learn how to avoid doing so when you get older." she finished the cocktail she was creating and handed it to Kyrie, "Drink this."

Kyrie hesitated after a single glance at what he was being offered as any sane man, woman, child, or even animal would when faced with the liquid he held in his hands. It was a disgustingly sickly shade of green with tinges of purple. Worse still was the fact that a myriad of the remains of what appeared to be the tail of a lizard, the suckers of an octopus, and the fork of an adder. As if it needed to be even more intimidating, it emanated an aura of deep sable that seemed to swallow its surroundings and would have made even a plant gag before wilting.

"Um... is this safe to drink?" Kyrie asked as he pensively and gingerly stared at the abomination of a solution before him.

She leaned in a bit closer, "Yeah. What? You don't trust me?"

"No... it just looks scary." he replied as he continued to stare in horror at the vial of liquid evil. For a moment he could have sworn something inside of it had moved, adding to the boy's fright.

"Come on, everyone who tried it loved it so much they were out cold for a few hours."

"O-Out c-cold?!" The Devil Slayer was seriously considering throwing the liquid out the nearest window.

"They felt amazing went they woke up. Just try it. It's not like it's going to kill you or anything."

Somehow he severely doubted that, but the pressure of her gaze was quickly becoming unbearable. Closing his eyes, he downed the insidious beverage with the hopes that it would either be bearable or that it would at least put him out of his misery.

He was then surprised by a number of facts.

First, he wasn't dead.

Second, it wasn't all that bad. Certainly not something he'd reach for to quench his thirst, but it was at the very least palatable. In hindsight, he did have several years of experience living off anything remotely edible, so finding something he couldn't stomach was next to impossible.

Third, the effects of the strange potion were immediate. Kyrie could easily could even say it was the best he'd ever felt in his life. Granted it didn't do much to lift his mood, but at least he felt a lot more energetic.

Higana rested her arms on the top of her chair, "Feeling better?"

"A little."

"Don't take it personally, kiddo. I dole out insults all the time, and that one was a pretty minor one if you could even call it one. I'm sure I don't need to tell you this, but the world isn't always a nice place. You can't let a few insults or mistakes get you down like this. Life will have its ups and downs, but it's when you can get back up, pick up the pieces, and keep moving forward that counts."

"But what if you can't... what if you can't pick up all the pieces. What if you just keep messing up and-"

She pegged him in the forehead with a cork this time.

"Stop being a pessimist. That isn't going to get you anywhere. You made a tiny mistake. Big deal. Just don't make the same mistake next time. Anyway, that's enough counseling for now. Now onto your next problem, your appearance."

Kyrie looked as crestfallen as ever, "But I thought you said-"

"I know what I said, but not everyone is as accepting as us, not that I need to remind you." she turned back to her desk to pick up an object, "Catch."

"Huh?" was all he could say as Higana threw a hard, rectangular object that hit him square in the face before falling into his lap.

"Ow..."

"Whoops, that wasn't intentional. Honest. Anyway, take a look at it."

Once the jolt of pain had dulled a little his eyes traveled down to the cover which he read aloud.

"Transformation Magic?"

"Yes. Normally it's used to make you look like someone else but-"

Kyrie's face lit up again in anticipation, "This magic might let me look normal again!"

She nodded, "I'm no expert in this myself, so I wouldn't get my hopes up too high. The problem is also the effort needed to sustain it. You're going to need to devote a good amount of focus, practice, and magic power to use it for any long period of time. So you should probably start-"

Her suggestion was unnecessary as Kyrie's eyes were already trained on the pages of the tome, intending to absorb every last bit of information with fervor.

It wasn't long until he jumped from his seat on the bed, brimming with a kind of alacrity that a stranger might find unhealthy, as if the boy was on a sugar high of some sort.

He closed his eyes and began focusing his magical power in a small radius around him as instructed by the book. Yellow particles began appearing around him, each one beginning to coat the demonized parts of his body in light in preparation for the magic's effects.

_"So Kyrie is just as talented as Wendy... I wonder what they'll be like when they grow up."_ the nurse thought to herself as Kyrie finished.

Or at least he would have, if he wasn't distracted by the growling that came from his stomach. The whole magic sequence fell apart as he clutched his abdomen, realizing that his hunger pangs were caused by the fact that he hadn't eaten anything significant in days.

"You can't cast magic correctly on an empty stomach, Kyrie. You won't focus or replenish your magic supply. Let's go downstairs to get you something to eat."

Kyrie didn't complain. The promise of a meal was more than enough to earn his compliance, a hot and fresh one all the more so.

As he tried to run out the door he tripped over his cape, hitting the ground face-first.

"Ow..." he muttered again as he lamented his own clumsiness.

Higana chuckled, "That cape is way too long for you, kid. You might want to take it off until you get a little taller."

The boy shook his head vigorously, "Nuh-uh. No way! T-this is my most important thing and- hey, give it back!"

Higana had taken it off his shoulders while he was busy blubbering and was busy folding it up, albeit neatly, much to Kyrie's horror.

"What are you doing?!" He hopped up to try and get it back, but he was too short to take it from her.

"Slow down, I'm just going to get you to wear it in a way that doesn't make you trip all the time."

"I just want it back! Please!" Tears could be seen at the edges of his eyes again as his attempts at getting most treasured keepsake back failed.

"Alright, alright. Here." She wrapped it around his neck the way one would a scarf, the end of which hung halfway down his back. "Now you won't be tripping over it every thirty seconds."

"I-I didn't trip that much." he replied, his lip quivering.

"That's fine, but now you won't trip at all. Sorry for making you cry like that."

He crossed his arms in a huff, "I wasn't c-crying!"

She began ruffling his hair again. "Sure you weren't you crybaby."

"I'm n-not a crybaby!" he yelled back which only earned another giggle from his tormentor.

"You're really cute when you're angry, you know that?"

He flushed pink from embarrassment he felt from the compliment and the fact that he was called cute twice in one day.

"Well, that's settled. How about we both grab a bite to eat?"

He nodded again as he began following Higana out the door, hopefully for the last time that day.

The thought of what his first home-cooked meal would taste like made him drool all the while.

* * *

Hello, everyone! A pretty short chapter (by my standards anyway), mostly for exposition and character building, but I hope you found it entertaining. You see, it was going to be longer (and thus take longer to write), but I've started a poll on my profile (not that many of you read it) about whether or not you guys would want, and so far the only two votes are for shorter but more frequent chapters. So I decided to leave if off here.

To be honest, my character designs haven't been all that original. Those who have played Pokemon might recognize Higana as Zinnia, as Higana is her Japanese name. The same goes for Granny to an extent, as that was all she was referred to in the games. George's (even though his only purpose in this particular chapter was to strangle Kyrie into unconsciousness) manner of speaking, personality, and appearance are all based on Braum from League of Legends.

As for Kyrie's clothing design I took inspiration from two sources. The first was Meliodas from The Seven Deadly Sins (vest, black pants, general waiter-like look) and Tiz from the game series Bravely Default (shirt, crests on the sleeves, belt with pockets). I guess I wanted a simple and down to earth look for a more reserved and bumpkin of a character than the likes of Natsu. As for the tailoring scene I was inspired by the fact that last summer I visited Fort Ticonderoga where the employees make their own colonial era clothes from scratch on site where everyone can watch. It was pretty interesting, so I adapted that to the story here. Of course, in real life it would take a lot longer than a few hours to finish a whole outfit.

As for the inspiration for Kyrie's cloak... well that's actually a case of massive spoilers so I'm going to leave that in the dark for now.

I suppose the action should start up again in a chapter or so. So please be patient. I'm not the fastest or most inspired writer and I have my own problems to deal with so I'm really sorry about my slow update speed. I'm writing as fast as I can but I'm sort of lacking a spark at the moment.

If you have any questions or comments feel free to ask them in a review or a private message. I'll gladly respond as quickly as I can. Hearing your thoughts on all of this a big part of the fun of writing, and I hope to get a lot of responses and critiques.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading and please tell me what you think with a review!

P.S. Please tell me what you think about the whole shorter but more frequent chapters issue on the poll at the top of my profile page. Thanks again!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. All characters and concepts that are not my own belong to Hiro Mashima.

* * *

"Slow down, Wendy! I... can't keep up..." muttered Kyrie as he struggled to run after his fellow Mage, breathing heavily in between phrases.

"Um, sorry..." replied the Dragon Slayer, "but tag doesn't work like that."

"Can we take a break then... please?" he begged, sweating and ready to pass out from less than thirty minutes of continuous running.

"Oh, um... of course!"

"Thank you..." Kyrie collapsed in a heap on the floor, looking as if he'd run a marathon, "I had no idea... that playing... could be this hard..."

* * *

**A few hours earlier...**

* * *

"For a scrawny, emaciated runt, you sure know how to pack away a meal." muttered the nurse as she led her patient into the room.

"Huh? I didn't pack anything. I just ate stuff."

She sighed, "It's just a figure of speech. It means you eat way too much for a kid your size."

"But I was hungry..."

"That doesn't mean you can eat nine full plates of food!"

"B-But I was hungry." he repeated, unsure of how to respond, "You can't eat when you're hungry?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying. What I meant to say is that eating too much is bad for you."

"How can eating be bad for you? Everyone has to eat right?"

She sighed, "If I tell you right now it's just going to go in one ear and exit out the other. How about we focus on your Transformation Magic first?"

"Oh, okay! Um... here I go!"

Kyrie's magical power flared, this time only taking a brief moment to complete, giving the boy ample time to look over the results.

His eyes immediately shot to his left hand... which now perfectly matched his right hand in both coloration and texture.

With his anticipation mounting, he quickly took a look down the collar of his shirt, allowing him to see that his torso was completely devoid of the crimson scales that had covered it for so long.

He soon found that the results were the same all over, with all remnants of the damned experiment had vanished like a bad dream. Excitement wouldn't even begin to describe the feeling that was welling up in Kyrie's chest at the time.

"Nice job, but you missed a spot." said Higana with a small smile.

His ballooning sense of joy was quickly and neatly pierced with that single statement.

"Huh?! W-Where?!" All of the boy's excitement was immediately replaced with panic in an instant, with him feeling up his arm and leg in a frantic attempt to find it.

"Calm down. It's your eye. You forgot to use your magic on your left eye."

Kyrie froze for a moment before sighing deeply, "O-Okay... phew... Let me try it again!"

With another flash he redid the magic, paying especially close attention to the way his eye looked.

The smile turned into a frown, "Not quite, try again."

So he did, trying even harder than before.

"No change here, keep trying."

Irritation became visible on his face, "I am trying!"

"Nope, one more time."

Finally, he had it, "Why isn't it working?!" he growled in frustration.

The nurse's voice grew stern, "Don't you start growling at me. I don't know why it isn't working, I just managed to find the book. You should at least be happy that you were able to get so much done on your first try. After all, Transformation Magic is usually used to transform into _other _people."

"I guess but..."

"You'll get it in time. For now, I have a little solution." she drew a small black eye-patch from one of the cabinets, "Just wear this for the time being. It'll cover your eye just fine."

Kyrie took the eye-patch from her gingerly, staring at it for a few moments before asking, "How do I put this on?"

She sighed, "It's easy. You take the strap, you stretch it like so... and fit it over your eye."

As soon as the piece of cloth covered his eye, Kyrie noticed an immediate difference in his vision. All of the extra colors caused by the auras of every object vanished, leaving him with nothing but the mundane colors seen by everyone else. He flipped the eye-patch up and down, the colors vanishing and returning each time.

"Something the matter?"

"Ah, no... it's just that everything looks different with the eye-patch on."

"How so?"

"Um... ever since I got this eye everything seemed to give off an aura. How big it was and how dark it was told me how strong and honest someone is. All of the auras vanish when I put the "

"Oh... I've heard of this. Your left eye has a type of Eye Magic."

"Eye Magic?"

"It's exactly what it says on the tin. Yours sounds a lot like a subset of Human Possession Magic, which allows the user to see souls and determine their qualities. If you can memorize the appearance of one's aura you'd be a pretty good tracker. However, there's another thing I want you to worry about."

She pointed directly at the covered eye, "That left eye of yours is much sharper than your right, isn't it?"

"Uh, yeah. How did you-"

"You move your left eye a lot more than your right eye., but let's get to the point. With that eye-patch on you're going to be a lot more clumsy because you won't have both eyes available." she pulled out a cotton ball, "Let me show you. Catch."

The boy moved to catch it, but despite its high and slow arc the cotton ball seemed to pass through his fingers.

"Eh? But I thought I-"

"It's called depth perception. Your brain normally uses both eyes to produce an image, but with only one eye the image is stilted, making it harder to gauge distance. Naturally, this would apply to your perception of your own movements."

Her voice then turned grave, "I think you know that you're the type of kid to get into trouble, so let me warn you right now. If you ever get into a fight, don't hesitate to take that eye-patch off. Given the state you were in last time you fought a monster, it could mean the difference between life and death. Your Transformation Magic also drains your stamina, so don't be afraid to stop using it if you need to. Got it?"

Kyrie gulped before nodding quickly, prompting Higana to lighten her tone, "Alright then, how about you go play with Wendy?"

He gave her the blankest of stares, "Huh?"

"You heard me. Leave the work to the adults. Go off and play like all kids your age do..." she paused, "You've never played with anyone your age before, have you?"

Kyrie merely shook his head, maintaining the same blank stare all the while.

"Okay, how about you and Wendy go play tag. Even she can explain the rules to you on the way."

After all for that he finally managed to come up with a proper response, "I-I can't just go and goof off when you've done so much for me and all..."

"I told you. Don't worry about it. This kind of work is a job for adults. Go and be a kid, you won't be one forever."

* * *

**Present Time**

* * *

"Are you okay now?" asked Wendy as Kyrie caught his breath.

He took a deep breath before exhaling naturally, "Yep. We can keep playing now if you want."

"Sorry to bother you like this... I've never played with anyone my own age before so..."

He shook his head, "No, no, it's okay... this is my first time too... So I um, didn't really know what to expect either."

After that the two wouldn't say another word to each other not out of reluctance so much as insecurity. What would two children who had never played together say to each other?

Finally, Kyrie got up from his seat on the ground before slowly walking over to the log where Wendy was seated. His face grew closer to hers, his uncovered eye staring directly into Wendy's own.

"U-Uh, what are you doing?"

He lightly tapped her on the shoulder, "Tag, you're it!"

"Hey, t-that wasn't nice at all!" she sputtered as he took off.

"But you said those were the rules of the game!"

"Still..." Wendy pouted, "I'm going to get you!"

That moment came sooner than she thought, as Kyrie tripped over a root in his haste to get away, resulting in a spectacularly terrible spill that ended with him rolling down the nearby slope and into a tree.

"Ow..." he muttered as he rubbed his head, "I wonder if trees hate me..."

"Ah, are you okay?"

"Yeah... Still getting used to walking around with only one eye."

"I'll be right there," she called back, "Hold o- wah!" She soon found herself tripping over the same set of roots and tumbling right into him.

"Ouch..." the both of them muttered again.

"Are you okay?" the two of them said to each other at the same time.

"Um, yes..."

"Uh, yeah..."

It took a few seconds before they realized that their faces were even closer than before, causing Wendy to back away quickly while Kyrie ended up pressing himself against the tree in embarrassment.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to!" they said in unison.

Their next thoughts were then interrupted by the sound of rustling leaves.

"What's that? An animal?" The Devil Slayer looked around quickly to look for the potential threat, completely oblivious to the fact that the sound was actually coming from above.

This also left him unaware of the fact that a large, round object was descending upon his head, subsequently colliding with it and left the boy seeing stars as the object bounced off and rolled over to Wendy.

"What's this?" asked the Dragon Slayer as she picked up the object, which was surprisingly light for its size.

"What's wha-?" asked Kyrie, his speech slurred.

"It's an egg!" Wendy finally declared after observing it for a few moments, "But what could lay an egg this big?"

"Maybe a really big chicken?" suggested Kyrie, who was slowly regaining coherent thought as he rubbed the bump on his head.

Wendy's eyes widened as she noticed the ornate pink markings on the side of the egg, "These look just like a dragon's talons! Could this be..."

Her lips curled into a smile, "This has to be a dragon egg!"

"D-Dragon egg? Don't you think that's kind of dangerous?"

Wendy's face fell, "Grandeeney was so nice though..."

"Oh... so what do you want to do with it?"

She hugged it tightly, "I want to hatch it."

"H-Hatch it?! But if it's a dragon how are we going to feed it?"

"We'll catch fish and buy meat. How else?" she replied matter-of factly as she caressed the egg.

"Um... We should probably ask everyone else if it's okay first." he suggested, afraid of doing anything particularly rash.

"Hmm... okay... Let's go then!" declared Wendy cheerfully, making her way back up the hill and towards the guild hall with a spring in her step.

"Hey, wait up!" he called with the same smile on his face, racing after her as best he could.

* * *

**Cait Shelter Guild Hall**

* * *

"We're back!" shouted Wendy cheerfully, practically waltzing in with the egg in her hands.

"Y-Yeah... we're back... we found... an egg..." Kyrie added, panting the whole time, his short stamina only exacerbated by his constant use of Magic.

"Oh, you two are back early." remarked the Guild Master while taking sips from a bottle of wine "What's this you said about an egg?"

"Wendy... says... we found... a dragon egg..."

"A dragon egg? May I have a look?"

Wendy complied, carefully handing the egg to Roubaul for examination.

"I must say, I've never seen anything quite like this. Where did you find it exactly?"

"It fell out of a tree and hit Kyrie on the head."

"Don't remind me..." the boy muttered as he rubbed the sore spot on his head.

The old man stroked his beard, "What do you plan to do with this?"

"I want to hatch it! Um... please!" asked Wendy with a bow, hoping the Master would allow it.

Roubaul sighed, "There are very few types of magic that can make this egg hatch, and I am not capable of using any of them. You'll have to let nature run its course. That said, I don't mind allowing you to hatch it, but it'll be a great responsibility. Are you sure you can handle it?"

Wendy nodded, "I'll be the Mama and Kyrie will be the Papa."

The Devil Slayer felt his face turning red hot, "W-What?! Mama? Papa? I'm not sure if I'm ready for this!"

The Guild Master chuckled, "She just wants you to help her keep the egg warm. Since you're the boy taking care of it, it places you in a father-like position."

"O-Oh, when you put it that way it doesn't sound so embarrassing..." Kyrie then noticed something very peculiar, "The hall is so empty. Where is everyone?"

"Well, they've uh... gone out to buy groceries."

The boy lifted an eyebrow, "Everyone?"

"Well, there are other things to get as well. I was just being general is all."

"Okay..." The boy resisted the urge to flip up his eye-patch to see if the old man was telling the truth. After all, this was the man who had taken him in. What reason would he have to lie?

"Hey, let's go!" Wendy began tugging on his arm, "We have to make a nest for the egg!"

"Eh? Why can't we keep it in the guild hall?"

"Dragons live outside. We can't leave it in here!"

"I guess that makes sense- wha!"

She was already walking out the door, "I know a place, come on!"

"H-Hold on, I can't walk that fast!"

Roubaul couldn't help but smile as she watched the pair leave the premises, "Why, I've never seen Wendy so excited before."

He took another sip from the bottle, "Perhaps this is a consequence of gaining her first real companion in years."

"I wonder when the day you won't need us anymore will come." the old man mused, "Well, only time will tell now won't it?"

* * *

A few weeks later, the pair were tending to the egg in a shelter they made of hay, grass, and straw. Their fellow guild members had helped of course (neither of them could even erect a tent properly), but the rest of the responsibilities in regards to taking care of the egg fell to the young mages.

Wendy's naturally caring side allowed her to take to the role of the egg's primary caretaker like a duck would to water. Being motherly came pretty easily to a girl who only wanted her foster mother back.

Meanwhile, Kyrie's jittery demeanor made him an effective guardian as well. He was always on the lookout for danger and could never really settle down enough to lower his guard. His experience with beating up monsters made chasing away unfriendly wildlife come as second nature. As a consequence, much of the friendly wildlife also learned to keep their distance, much to his displeasure.

At the moment, the weather wasn't particularly nice, with gloomy clouds and strong gales blowing through the area frequently. Those same clouds would soon herald the arrival of rain.

"What are you doing?" the Sky Dragon Slayer asked as her friend gazed at the egg intently with his left eye.

"Higana-san said that if I memorize the aura of the egg, I'd be able to to find it no matter what, just in case we lose it."

She began hugging it tightly again, "We're not going to lose it!"

"_I think I made her mad..."_ he thought to himself, "Um... I think I've almost got it. Could you put it down so I can finish?"

"That does sound helpful... okay..." she placed the egg back into the center of the hay.

"And... done! There's no way I'm going to forget the way the egg's aura looks like now."

"What does the aura look like?"

"It's pink and shaped like a pair of angel wings."

"Really? That sounds really pretty!"

He turned his eyes downward, "It is... it's one of the only good things I can do with this stupid eye that won't go back to normal."

After a few moments of awkward silence the topic was soon dropped when the egg back to shake.

"Ah, it moved again!" marveled Kyrie as he watched the egg move again, "It's the fifth time today."

"Yeah! Do you think it's going to hatch today?" replied Wendy.

He shrugged as he replaced the eye-patch, "Um... it moved a lot of times before but it didn't hatch. So I don't know. But we've been taking care of it for a few weeks now, so it's gotta hatch soon right?"

"I guess... I just wish Grandeeney was here." she sighed, "I miss her."

"Wendy..." he scratched his head as he tried to find the words to tell her, "Um... I never really got to know my mom that well, since I was a baby and all, so I'm not sure if I should be saying this but... I think she'd be uh... proud of you for taking care of this egg."

The girls eyes widened, throwing the boy into a panic, "W-Well I'm uh, not saying I know how your mom thinks. I never met her or anything so I-"

He was silenced by the sight of her smile, "No... Thank you."

Kyrie couldn't help but smile goofily as well, "I-It's not a problem..." he replied, breathing a sigh of relief all the while.

When he did so, he couldn't help but notice something odd about the air, "Do you smell that?"

Wendy took a whiff of the air, "Yeah... it smells like... strawberries?"

They looked outside of the shelter to see a basket chock full of the fruit a few meters away. There were no tags, and thus no apparent sender.

"Did the anyone we know leave this here?" asked the Dragon Slayer.

"I don't think so..." the Devil Slayer replied as he flipped up his eye-patch, "Let me check if the person is still around."

As Kyrie scanned the premises, he noticed that there was one yellow aura amongst the green auras let out by the trees. "Hey! Mister, are you there?"

The aura quickly shrank as the unknown man took off, with the boy catching the glimpse of a yellow pinstripe suit before it vanished amongst the trees, causing Kyrie to flip his eye-patch back down. "He's gone..."

"Does that mean these strawberries are for us?"

"Um... He's not coming back for it, right? Finders keepers, I guess." Wendy shrugged as Kyrie walked over to the basket to take one berry before putting it in his mouth.

"It's good!" he remarked as finished eating it.

"Let me try!" they ended up sharing the basket, smiling and chatting the day away.

Only a half hour later, Kyrie stopped short, prompting Wendy to ask, "What's wrong? Are you full?"

His expression quickly turned grim, "I just remembered something. A lot of monsters love the smell of fresh fruit."

"Huh? Really?"

He nodded, "In a forest like this, strawberries would attract..."

A loud thudding could be heard outside before the face of a green and purple ape peered inside, "Ooooooh..."

"Gorians, also called Forest Vulcans."

"Why aren't those strawberries?" the monster asked, "Oh, an egg too! Hand them over!"

"Over my dead body!" Kyrie yelled as he tackled the Vulcan out of the shelter, the ape managing to escape his grasp as they rolled outside.

"That's the way it's gonna be huh?" asked the Vulcan, "Well, that can be arranged!" It snapped its fingers, causing multiple identical Gorians to appear from the shadows, their numbers approaching a half dozen in total.

"Wendy, take the egg and run!" she complied, grasping the egg tightly as she took off. The Gorians would have pursued her if it weren't for the Devil Slayer standing in their path.

"You'll have to go through me first!" he exclaimed with unusual gusto.

This only enraged the six monsters, which charged towards him like a herd of bulls on stampede. If he didn't move, he would certainly be crushed by the wild beasts.

It was around this time that he realized just how much danger he was in, "W-What did I get myself into?!"

But those thoughts were shoved aside as more important things took hold, "Don't think about that! I have to protect Wendy and the egg!"

His right fist burst into flame as he lunged forward, _**"Fire Demon's Damning Fist!"**_

However, to his surprise, the attack missed, the Gorians pouncing on him as a consequence.

"Ooh! This kid has a lot of magical power. Maybe we should use Take Over on him."

"Ooh! That's a good idea! Take-"

The Devil Slayer began to scowl, "I am _not_ becoming a monster!"

The Gorians found themselves thrown in all directions as the boy overpowered them, "Eat this! _**Fire Demon's Rampage!"**_

He began slinging veritable twisters of molten rock and flame towards the group of monsters, who quickly rolled out of the way.

"Ha! Your aim sucks, brat!"

"Tch!" It doesn't take a genius to realize that against mobile foes such as these, Kyrie's usual tactic of simply throwing fire at them wasn't going to work, compounded by his impaired depth perception.

Higana's words echoed in his mind, _"__If you ever get into a fight, don't hesitate to take that eye-patch off."_

As much as he didn't want to, the Devil Slayer knew he had no choice in the matter. "Fine... you asked for it!" He not only removed the eye-patch but dispelled his Transformation Magic as well.

The Gorians froze as they gazed upon the boy's true appearance, "T-This kid is..."

Kyrie launched a knee kick into the face of one, breaking the ape's nose and knocking it out from the impact. He didn't stop there. Kicking off the hard muscles of the ape he just knocked out, the Devil Slayer than threw a fierce elbow strike against the temple of another one of the monsters, incapacitating it instantly.

"The weakness of every Gorian is the face, which contain the only muscles they're unable to train at all." he remarked as he threw them a deadly glare. "I'm not going to miss with my left eye free! My magic is made to tear creatures like you apart! Do you really want to keep going?"

Their response was to turn tail and flee, taking their comrades with them in the process, anything to get away from the demonic child.

In response, the boy merely scratched his head at the creatures' apparent cowardice, "Wow... compared to the behemoth that was really easy."

He then realized that he didn't tell Wendy _where_ to run, meaning that he had no idea where she was. Kyrie hadn't quite memorized the appearance of her aura yet, so all he could do was wander aimlessly until he found her.

"Wendy! Where are you?"

When he finally discovered where his friend had fled... and it was immediately apparent to him that he had failed.

He had failed as a father.

He had failed as a protector.

He had failed as a friend.

She was beaten and bruised, her short blue hair covered in dirt, grass, and leaves, a clear sign of a struggle. Her arms were attempting to grasp at something that simply wasn't there anymore.

To make matters worse, the egg was gone.

The one thing he had sworn Wendy he'd protect, was taken, stolen by some punk who wanted to make a quick buck.

He felt his hands ball into fists as the thoughts raced through his mind, only relaxing when he remembered his first priority, getting Wendy to a safe place.

This was not going to be the end of the matter, the half-devil was going to make sure of that.

* * *

Roubaul sighed as he watched the clouds turn darker and darker with thunder rumbling in the distance. Skies such as these were always foreboding sights, and this one was no exception.

His fears seemed to come true when he saw the blond-haired mage running up the path to the guild hall with an unconscious Wendy in his arms.

"What happened?" he asked as the boy approached.

"Someone lured me away by luring Gorians to attack us. He beat Wendy and took the egg." the boy seemed outwardly calm, as if he was carefully thinking things through, but the old man knew better.

"It was the right move to bring her here immediately, but what are you going to do now?" the guild master asked cautiously as he took Wendy into his arms.

"I'm going find the person who did this and get the egg back."

"You're not going to do anything else?"

Kyrie's brow furrowed, "Master, _he needs to pay_."

"Then how do you plan to make him do so?"

"I won't kill him." the Devil Slayer stated bluntly.

"Then what will you do? Maim him? Break his bones? Scar his face? Revenge is empty. You'll get no satisfaction from it. Trust the words of this old man, I've learned from experience."

The boy paused for a moment, "You can't stop me."

"Of course I can't. I'm but an old man. Just promise me one thing, boy. Don't do anything you'll regret. It's never good to become what you're trying to defeat." the old man's expression became melancholic, even wistful as he told Kyrie this, "That is... also something I've learned over the course of my life."

The half-devil unfurled his cloak and wrapped it around himself before pulling the hood over his head, "I understand, Master. I'll keep that in mind."

The boy removed the eye-patch that sealed his left eye once more, gazing off into the distance, taking the time to lock on to the aura of the egg. With that task finished he began his hunt for both the egg and the culprit as raindrops started to fall.

Roubaul could only look on helplessly before turning to bring Wendy to the infirmary as thunder boomed and lightning danced across the sky. Neither of these things fazed him in the slightest due to his knowledge of a single thing.

The real storm was brewing in Kyrie's heart.

* * *

The thief was busy counting the Jewels he could make from pawning off the egg he took from the girl in the cave. It was easy enough to find. Word spreads quickly, especially rumors that involve things as mythical as the egg of a dragon. As soon as he heard that all that was guarding the egg was a pair of kids, he knew he had to take advantage of this.

He wondered who he'd sell it to. He'd make a killing if he sold on the black market. Then again, if he sold it to a research society he would still make a boatload of cash while making himself famous in the process. The possibilities were endless...

His thoughts were interrupted as his door suddenly burst off its hinges, the howling storm taking the opportunity to rush into the cabin, the flame of the fireplace stamped out by the fierce wind and rain.

_*Tower of Heaven Theme*_

"What the hell?"

The man turned to see a small figure shrouded entirely in scarlet cloth standing in the doorway. The entire upper half of the figure's face was obscured by a hood as it stared directly at the thief.

"_Give the egg back._" it ordered in a low growl.

"Huh? I got this fair and square. Buzz off."

"_**Give it back.**_" the growl turned into a snarl, "_**Give it back right now!**_"

"I ain't got nothin' to give back. So why don't you scram before I make you, kid?"

"_**I know the egg is here! **__**Give it back right now or else!**__" _the figure demanded.

"Or else what? Cause I'm thinking of just killing your ass and getting this over with!" The thief threw a jab straight at the figure, who did not move an inch from his current position.

The figure instead caught the attack with effortlessly by grabbing the thief's forearm with its left hand.

"_**Or else **__**this!**_"

The first sound to be heard was a nice little

Snap.

Followed by a harsher and nauseating

_Crackle._

Which was then succeeded by an extremely loud

_**Crunch.**_

Before finally culminating with a resounding

_**Scream.**_

The thief recoiled, falling to the ground and backing away as he saw his splintered forearm penetrate his skin, "What did you do?! What did you do?!"

"**What does it look like, **_**dumbass**_**_?_ Your bones are no ****harder to break**** than a twig ****in my hands****!**_**"**_

It was then that the injured man noticed something terrifying about his assailant.

The entirety of the figure's left arm was covered with scales with the same pigmentation as human blood.

"W-what are you?"

"**Isn't it obvious?**" the figure approached, gripping its victim by the jaw before pinning him against the wall at eye level, allowing the thief to see a pair of golden serpentine eyes burning with sheer enmity. "**I'm a...**"

"D-D-D-!" he cried.

The figure removed its hood to reveal crimson hair and the same scales lining the left side of its face, its maw lined with dagger-like teeth.

"**Demon****.**"

"W-Wait! S-Stop, please! Y-You can have the egg back, just-"

"**Do you think I'm stupid? ****You're not sorry. You're just afraid of getting hurt!" **the figure cracked its knuckles as he looked into the thief's dread-stricken eyes,"**I'm going to make you feel every last bit of pain she did. ****Prepare yourself,**** you **_**bastard! **_**I want to hear you **_**squeal **__**like the pig you are**__**!**_"

The scaled hand began secreting molten earth, searing the entirety of the man's jawline, the face of the victim contorting in agony as he screamed for mercy. His cries of terror drowned out by the equally unremitting tempest.

* * *

The storm had cleared by the following morning, allowing the sun to stream through the treetops. The area was completely still and devoid of sound. Along with the warm temperature and the crisp, clean air, the makings of a perfect day were all present.

It was on this day that a still sore and tired Wendy snuck out of bed in search of her friend. She had awoken in bed, where the others told her that the Devil Slayer had left to go find the culprit and bring the egg back.

She didn't have to search for long, as she found Kyrie resting against a tree, his clothes drenched with water. In his lap was the egg, warm and dry as a result of being covered by his crimson cloak.

"N-Not a monster... not a monster..." he mumbled in his sleep.

Wendy gently nudged him, "Kyrie? Are you okay?"

His eyes slowly fluttered open, "Huh? Oh, good morning Wendy."

He paused, "Wait, Wendy? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in- a-achoo!" His nose began running, prompting him to quickly wipe it away with his sleeve in embarrassment.

She shook her head, "Don't worry about me. The thief didn't hurt you did he?"

"N-No, not at a-achoo!" he wiped his nose again, "You won't have to worry about him anymore either. I made sure of tha-achoo!"

He sighed, "I think I caught a cold..."

She took the egg into her hands, "Maybe you should dry yourself off first."

"Y-Yeah, good idea." He lit himself ablaze and sustained the flame until he was toasty warm, "Much better..."

"So um... yeah, I got the egg back like I promised. Sorry for making you worry."

"Uh... sorry for making you go find the egg."

"No... if I did a better of job of being the Papa and protecting you then the egg would have been safe. Sorry!"

"But if I was better at using my magic to defend myself then you wouldn't have had to works so hard. So, sorry!"

"Would you two stop saying sorry already!" came a voice out of nowhere.

The two jumped, turning to see their nurse and babysitter looking down at them. "Geez, it's seriously grating how apologetic you two are."

"W-When did you get here?" the both of them asked.

"I heard you while I was moving a few things around. Anyway..." She began tugging on Wendy's ear, "Who gave you permission to get out of bed?" before following suit with Kyrie, "And who gave you permission to run off like that last night?"

"Ow! Sorry! Ow! Sorry!"

"You two..." she finally let go, "Still, let's get you both inside. I can't have one sick kid and another injured kid running off on their own today. Right?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

As they responded the egg began to shake again, "It looks like the egg agrees too."

However, as the trio approached the doors of the guild hall, the egg began to shake even more vigorously, nearly tossing itself out of Wendy's arms in the process.

"I-It's about to hatch!" the blonde mage sputtered as the egg continued to move.

"Why thank you, Captain Obvious!" Higana remarked as she quickly ushered them inside and shut the door.

Soon afterward the egg managed to wriggle free of Wendy's grasp, rolling into the center of the Guild Hall before stopping on its side. Cracks formed along the egg's equator that quickly turned into holes before it finally burst open, revealing a small, white orb of light.

The light soon faded away to reveal...

"A cat?!" was the almost universal reaction.

Its fur was snow white and its eyes were brown. Unlike most creatures, it seemed strangely calm, wearing a small pout instead of the usual confusion that most animals bore when they first enter the world.

"It's so cute!" exclaimed Wendy as she gazed at the small feline.

Wendy's statement was also the universal opinion of nearly everyone in the hall, with practically every member rushing over to get a better look at the newly hatched creature.

"Hi, I'm Wendy." she reached out to the cat, "Nice to meet you."

The cat stared at her for a while, as if it was studying her for some reason or another before finally lending a paw.

"Aww..." Once again the guild members' thoughts about the cat were in unison as the girl took the mammal into her arms and cradled it like a baby.

"So, what are you going to call it Wendy?" asked Magna, a burly man sporting a mohawk.

"Um..." Now that she thought about, Wendy realized that she hadn't stopped to think about such a thing.

"How about Carla?" Higana suggested.

"Carla?"

"It means free one. It'd be fitting for someone who freed herself of an egg, right?"

"Wait, the cat is a girl?" asked Kyrie.

"What else could it be? The egg had pink markings on it."

"Oh..." Being an eight-year old, gender differences like that didn't really occur to him.

"What do you think, Carla?" Wendy asked the cat.

The cat merely nodded with an affirmative, "Uhn."

The Dragon Slayer beamed, "It's nice to meet you then, Carla!"

Despite the attention she was getting, Carla continued to pout no matter what members of Cait Shelter said or did.

Finally, Kyrie nervously held his own hand out to the cat, "H-Hi I'm Kyrie..."

It was this gesture that finally changed Carla's expression. It was not the motion itself, but what she saw as a result of it.

Instead of the shaking right hand of a boy she saw a set of massive talons stained with blood. The hall seemed to be engulfed in an inferno. The air was saturated with the sound of someone screaming for his life. The nervous face was replaced with the terrifying visage of a creature that could only be called a monster, its maw ready to unleash a jet of flame at a hopeless victim...

Carla immediately began squirming to get away from this creature, sprouting a pair of angel-like wings as she tried to create as much distance between them as possible.

"Carla, what's wrong?" Wendy cried as the feline flew out of her grasp. The cat's eyes were wide like a deer in the headlights, her once smooth fur standing in all directions.

The boy merely froze, his face falling as he watched Carla soar higher and higher into the air, "I-I... I'm sorry..."

"_Carla hates me..." _he thought as he turned around in shame, "I'll just go back to my room..."

Wendy grabbed him by the arm before calling out to the cat, "Carla, come down! He's not going to hurt you! I promise!"

"Wendy it's okay..."

She ignored him, continuing to call out to Carla who refused to budge from her position in the air. However, the cat's young age meant a comparatively low amount of magical power, causing her wings to quickly vanish.

Before anyone else could react, the boy darted outward leaping through the air to catch the falling feline before crashing landing in a heap on the floor.

Quickly getting to his feet, he handed Carla back to Wendy, "She likes you better."

"You can't just leave her! You're the Papa!" this was the first time that anyone had seen Wendy so cross.

"B-But... you saw how she reacted-"

"Just hold her!"

"O-Okay!" As Wendy deposited the cat into his hands, the feline's expression once again turned fearful for a moment until the vision faded.

"Carla?" The cat soon found herself staring into the eyes of not a monster but a boy.

His nervousness quickly made way for joy as the cat's expression then returned to its previous ambivalence, but not before making herself comfortable and falling asleep in Kyrie's arms.

* * *

Meanwhile, Higana and Roubaul were conversing at the back of the crowd.

"It's a good thing that Kyrie and the egg are unharmed." the elder mage mused.

"Yeah, who would've thought that the huge egg would have such a tiny cat in it."

His face turned more stern, "But something worries me."

"Are you thinking the same thing I am, old man?"

"I certainly hope not."

"Well, I've already sent Pepel to trace Kyrie's tracks. She should be back any minute now."

Soon after a pile of dust coalesced to reveal a woman dressed in a black cape and hood over a white frilled dress along with a matching black veil to cover her mouth.

"Right on cue, Pepel. What did you find?"

Pepel closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before speaking, "It's as you feared. The boy tracked the thief down and brutally beat him before burning all of the thief's belongings with intense Fire Magic."

"Are you certain it was him?" asked the Guild Master.

The veiled woman nodded, "Yes. The boy's magical signature was strewn about the place. He was not intending to hide."

Higana gulped, "I know I'm going to regret asking this, but just how brutally did he beat the guy?"

"The thief's right arm was shattered in multiple places, with the bone penetrating the skin. He also sustained severe burns and bruising all across his body. His chin was especially burned. I do not believe it will ever completely heal."

Both Roubaul and Higana gaped in shock at the news, "How did he even survive those kinds of injuries?"

"The thief managed to secure a number of medicines and ointments when the boy left him to die of his injuries. I managed to transport him to the closest medical facility, but even then it may take months or even years for him to recover."

The nurse rubbed her temples, "Well, at least the bloke isn't dead. Hate to see what happens to his chin though."

"Still... for the boy to display such savagery... he could be dangerous."

"Master... he's not a bad kid. I spoke with him the other night. He's dealt with things no kid should have seen at his age. He only knows how to respond to violence with violence, but he's no threat to us." Higana said as she gazed at Roubaul with pleading eyes.

"Are you saying that I should overlook this?"

"I'm not saying that he's right. We'll have to work it out, but throwing him out would only make things worse for both him and Wendy."

"You're awfully close to them. I never realized that you got along with children so well."

"Well duh, you conjured all of us to take care of Wendy. I'd have to be this by necessity."

"Yes, yes... You're certainly right." Roubaul threw a glance at the smiling boy who was cradling the white cat as the rest of the guild continued to gush over its newest member.

"I suppose the real question we should be asking is this: Is Kyrie just a boy with the face of a devil, or a little devil in human skin?"

* * *

Omake # 2 – Stretchy Bands

"Hey Kyrie, did you know that there's something fun you can do with an eye-patch?"

"R-Really?" he didn't really sound all that convinced though.

"Yup!." she gripped his eye-patch before he could run away, "You pull back on the patch like so and... bam!" The nurse let go, causing the patch to whip him in the eye, the sudden pain causing him to trip backward.

"That's not fun at all!" he complained as he rubbed his sore eye.

"It is for me!" she replied with a laugh as the boy sulked on the floor.

* * *

Woohoo, title drop at the end! Sorry it took so long to write this. I know it's not really an excuse for a six month absence, but was _extremely_ busy with two SATs, an AP US History Exam, Four State Exams, managing college applications, writing an eleven page paper (yeah I'm going to stop here because the list is too long). So please cut me a little slack here!

Moving on, if you couldn't tell, my main objectives for this chapter were to establish more of Kyrie's character and detail Carla's hatching. Yes, I took many details from Natsu's and Lisanna's little episode, but it was the closest l had to a manual for this type of thing.

I suppose I tried to deconstruct a few things in this chapter as well. The idea of the standard shonen comic policy of "an eye for an eye" doesn't really translate well into real life. When you're a lot stronger (and angry) things tend to escalate far beyond than a mere beating, as you probably inferred from the thief's suffering at Kyrie's hands. I also found the idea of raising the egg in the middle of the woods with _no adult supervision_ without any repercussions to be far-fetched, especially when dealing with something that could probably sell for a lot of money.

About Kyrie's character, he's basically the inverse of what Lisanna said about Natsu when they were kids. He's soft, kind, reliable, and shy on the outside, but he's also a seething ball of pent-up anger and frustration waiting to be exerted on whatever sap dumb enough to piss him off. For as relatively intelligent and mature as Kyrie tries to be, he's an eight year old. He doesn't have the self-control to hold back once he loses his grip on his emotions, which when combined with his destructive potential leads to nasty results. Heck, the way he slowly beat the thief to a pulp is probably the darkest thing I've ever written up to this point.

Though to be honest, I wished there were a lot of things I could have done better with this chapter. I think I wrote Wendy a bit too out of character, but I attribute the way I wrote her behavior to the way my younger brother acts when he's excited about an activity as well as the 1st grade class I taught once. Don't try it. It's harder than actually being in school. Anyways... I also think I overdid it on the foreshadowing, as it was more like dropping an anvil on your heads than merely hinting at what's coming next. I guess there wasn't much action either, but that will come later I suppose.

In the end, the final verdict comes down to you guys, so thanks for reading and I hope to see you again next time. Don't forget to drop a review to tell me how you think!

P.S. I've started assigning character themes to each of my OCs due to the fact that all stories I'm writing for have amazing music in their source material. I'm trying to decide between Drumfire from Super Robot Wars or Blazing Dance from Fairy Tail for a standard awesome moment theme. I suppose I'll let you guys pick what you want.

P.S.S. I've realized how slowly I've been writing, and I came to the conclusion that I'm not going to be able to keep up with both school work and writing stories for you guys without help. So if anyone wants to help me out, I'd be extremely grateful and I'll certainly give you credit. After all, a writer is nothing without his readers right?

P.S.S.S. I only noticed it today, but as of 6/20 it's been a year since I've started writing fanfiction. Kind of hard to believe that I managed to do this. Also, Happy 4th of July to everyone who celebrates it!

Note to self: I've got to write shorter Author's Notes...


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